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The assembly at NCHS on suicide prevention presented by Tina Meier demonstrated that there is a lot of depression and bullying going on in the world today on line and off-line. People nowadays don’t bully one another directly; they use words and gestures to suggest who they are talking about. People can look happy, and can be smiling, and never complain about anything, but sometimes those are the people who need to be checked on the most.

Everyone has their own personal issues and have to learn how to deal with them. People becoming additional obstacles to one another is not necessary and is harmful; people should be helping one another get over their personal challenges, not create more. This is the message conveyed by Meier.

Meier had a really tragic story to tell of losing her daughter, Megan, to suicide. Her daughter was in seventh grade and was being bullied. Megan begged her mother to let her switch schools, but Meier initially made her daughter stick it out. Eventually, it got so bad Meier had no other option. Megan switched schools in 8th grade things got a lot better; Megan started volleyball and hanging out with friends. She was finally happy, but then a couple months went by and Megan wanted a MySpace account. At first, her mother said no, but Megan argued that everyone at school had it so her mom let her have it with a lot of restrictions. One rule was Megan couldn’t have any nudity on her page or be connected with anyone she didn’t know.

While having the on line account a guy sent her a friend request under the name Josh Newman. Meier looked it over and Megan eventually convinced her mom to let her add him. They started talking a lot. Then, about two weeks later, Josh all of a sudden claimed he didn’t want to be friends with Megan anymore. “Josh” began to bully her and say awful things to her on-line.She ended up taking her own life while both of her parents were in the house. Megan’s dad ran into her bedroom, grabbed her, and took her to the hospital. Later on that night Megan passed away.

About two months after Megan’s death the parents of a neighbor, who was supposedly her friend, came over and told the Meiers that they made the fake profile of Josh Newman just to find out what Megan was saying about their daughter. After they learned of this, the Meiers tried to get this family to be held responsible for Megan’s death. However, the cops said they could not convict the neighbors because they could not be proven to be the source of Megan’s death. Since then, on-line bullying in considered a cyber crime and people can be held liable for their actions.

Messing with someone’s emotions negatively can ruin a lot. It has become to easy to hide behind a computer, phone, or iPad screen and bully and belittle other human beings. A good rule of thumb is, if you won’t say it to someone’s face, you shouldn’t say it over social media.